A couple from Miami-Dade ended up being arrested after taking their four-month-old daughter to the hospital because she was crying inconsolably.
The parents claimed that they had heard a crack coming from the baby's body, but what seemed like a medical visit to find out what was wrong ended in an investigation for alleged child abuse.
The doctors at Nicklaus Children's Hospital discovered that the girl had four fractured ribs, three of which had recent injuries and one was in the healing process.
The child protection team at the center concluded that the fractures were caused by abuse, according to police reports cited by the local press.
The detainees were identified as Gabriella Trabrau, 26 years old, and Kevin Carrasco, 27, residents of southwest Miami-Dade.
The consulted sources do not specify the nationality or country of origin of either of the two accused.
During the medical evaluation, specialists detected three acute rib fractures, meaning recent, and a fourth one that showed signs of healing.
The difference in the condition of the injuries was one of the notable findings during the subsequent court hearing.
According to the police report, the hospital's child protection team determined that the fractures were caused by abuse.
However, the information released by the authorities does not conclusively identify the person responsible for the injuries nor specify the circumstances under which each occurred.
During the court appearance, the judge referred to the results of the medical evaluation and to the situation in which the girl was when she was taken to the hospital.
The man also denied having harmed the baby, according to the information gathered in the police report.
The available reports do not specify whether the investigators obtained additional testimonies or identify any other individual connected to the fractures.
The judge ordered that the parents have no contact with their daughter
During the court hearing, the judge ordered that both Trabrau and Carrasco stay away from the minor.
The measure was adopted while the competent authorities determine the conditions for the protection and custody of the girl.
The judge also explained that decisions regarding the parents' future contact with their daughter would fall under the jurisdiction of the child dependency court, which is responsible for examining family circumstances and the necessary measures to protect the minor.
"Given the minor's injuries, if I were the judge, I would not allow them to come near the minor, but it is not up to me," he stated during the hearing.
"It depends on the judge of the dependency court after they investigate, but someone mistreated that girl," he added.
During the hearing, Trabrau was seen with her head down while the magistrate communicated the conditions imposed on the defendants.
They each paid a bail of $2,500
The two defendants live in a gated community in the southwest of Miami-Dade County. Both face charges of child neglect due to the circumstances in which their daughter's injuries were discovered.
The court set a bail of $2,500 for each. According to NBC, both Trabrau and Carrasco paid the specified amounts and were released.
During the hearing, they were also informed that they would need to hire private attorneys for their defense.
As of the time of the news reports, it was not clear whether any of the accused had legal representation.
The payment of the bail does not eliminate the charges or the contact restrictions imposed by the court.
No public information about the custody of the baby
One aspect that remained unclear was who had taken charge of the girl after her parents' arrest and the court order that prohibited them from having contact with her.
Both Telemundo 51 and NBC 6 reached out to the Florida Department of Children and Families to inquire about the custody situation of the minor, but by the time their reports were published, they had not received a public response.
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